International Space Station captured in amazing image next to Moon

The International Space Station was captured in an incredible image as the Moon loomed behind it, The Daily Mail reported.

Despite being 240 miles above, no specialist equipment is needed to see the Station. In fact, this picture was taken two days ago by a Nasa photographer using an ordinary digital SLR camera – a Nikon D3S - as it passed above Houston.

In the right conditions, the orbiting lab can even be seen with the naked eye.

A pair of binoculars or a home telescope will reportedly reveal the structural shape of the craft.

The picture, meanwhile, is said to be very deceptive because the Moon is actually well over 200,000 miles beyond the Station, but they look here as if they might collide.

The construction of the Space Station began in 1998, and Nasa describe it as ‘the most complex scientific and technological endeavour ever undertaken’.

It is a test bed for future technologies and a research laboratory for new, advanced industrial materials, communications technology and medical research.

Nasa added that the Space Station is ‘vital to human exploration’.

It said: ‘It’s where we’re learning how to combat the physiological effects of being in space for long periods.’

The statistics associated with the Station are said to be mightily impressive.

It has more than 33,000 cubic feet (935 cubic metres) of habitable space - almost equal to the room inside one and a half Boeing 747 jetliners - weighs 925,000 pounds (419,600 kilograms) and measures 361 feet (110.03 metres) end to end, which is equivalent to a U.S. football field, including the end zones.

The station’s solar panels exceed the wingspan of a Boeing 777 and harness enough energy from the sun to provide electrical power to all station components and scientific experiments.

Five space agencies run it and once completed the research outpost will include contributions from the US, UK, Canada, Japan, Russia, Brazil, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.